As many of you might know, I have been involved from the start with Design and Marketing of the Black Abbey Brewing Company. It has been exciting to watch this company start and grow in just over 6 short months to 110 accounts in Nashville’s Davidson county alone. The list is growing daily which is a blessing. You can “LIKE” them on Facebook to get the latest goings on at the Brewery and Fellowship Hall. You can also check out the website at http://www.blackabbeybrewing.com. Currently they have 3 regularly brewed beers. The Champion, The Special, The Rose. Also They have had 6 Seasonal beers. Potus 44, Guy Fawkes, Chapter House, Wicket Gate, Crossroads and Brother Maynard. They have also had a Limited Edition Barrel Aged edition of all of their beers. I’m Sure a few of these Seasonal’s may move into the Regular position soon.

Black Abbey has been involved with the local Nashville beer festivals and will continue to do so. Hopefully they will be doing some traveling outside the area to offer great libations through out the state soon.
Lots of cool Swag has been developed, from T-shirts, caps, tobogans, and sweat bans so far. More Swag is always being designed to keep up with demand. Hoping to have some Brewery tins, as well as specific beer T-shirts have been in the works. There have been some limited Edition Letterpress Posters locally printed up as well. You may be able to get your hands one one of those from places they were distributed to.

The guys are headed this weekend to Chattanooga for a festival there, which is exciting for us. This is pretty far outside of Davidson county, but I’m sure there will be a great response just like closer to home has been.

This is a personal tour the Elder Brewer Brian Arnold gave me after his full shift. Great guy, if you stop by ask for him. This tour is of the Frederick, MD site. It’s currently a 50 Barrel site. From what I was told they have plans to build on to triple their size with in the next 5 yrs.

Now that summer has arrived, we are in the full swing of things. Pool is open! When the sun goes down and your continuing the party, breaking out the cards and chips may be a great way to keep that party rolling. After you have dried out from the pool and are ready to just enjoy the evening, Poker is a great way to gather your best pals and enjoy the rest of the evening. My friends here at http://pokerblog.com/ can get you started for your needs in the game of poker. Myself being a novice poker player sure can use the advice of these folks. Remember, it’s a friendly game and don’t get in over your head. Cheers and have a great summer of Craft Brews and Poker!

The Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza will provide beer lovers with the ultimate beer experience. The Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza is a proud supporter of Pints for Prostates, that encourages men to take charge of their health. 100% of the proceeds benefit Pints for Prostates.

Sample more than 40 craft brews, including specialty and unique beers from around the region along with casks made just for the Thirsty Orange Brew Extravanaza. Select beers will also be infused with fresh ingredients like mango, jalapeno and chocolate throughout the day. Thirsty Orange will host The Iron Brewer Challenge where brewers will compete for the title of the Iron Brewer, and each brewer will add their special secret ingredient.

Live music will be played throughout the day with exciting bands such Annie Robinette, A Wise Old River, Beth Snapp and A Great Disaster.

Tickets are limited. VIP / Early General Admission Tickets are $38, includes early-bird tastings an hour earlier, special beers released at 12:00 and also artisan cheese. Everyone who purchases a VIP / Early General Admission ticket also receives General Admission entry.

General Admission ticket prices are $30 in advance, which includes a commemorative tasting glass along with the official Thirsty Orange Pint glass for tickets purchased during the early bird period. Entry includes live music and a ticket to the Beer Booth (Photobooth).

Designated driver tickets are $15 and include craft root beer and a photobooth ticket, along with access to the live music. Children 14 and under are free.

Thirsty Orange is a proud supporter of Support Your Local Brewery by the Brewer’s Association.

More information on the Thirsty Orange Brew Extravaganza or to purchase tickets, go to www.thirstyorange.com

Today I’m feeling the need for some good Belgian beer. A few weeks back I stopped by Hops and Vines in Asheville and picked up some Belgian Ales I have not experienced yet. The Maredsous 8 which is a Dubbel is first up. This Ale has a nice copper brown color, comes from a 1 Lt bottle with a caged cork. The nose is of dark fruits like figs and raisins with a lite hint of hops. The banana from the Belgian yeasts is apparent. It has nice carbonation and the head dissipates to just a skim over the top. This is a medium body ale with mo real hint of alcohol, with a thick dry finish. With an ABV of 8% I feel this Dubbel comes in at a B+.

The following evening I went for the next Maredsous 10 which is a Tripel. Again this ale comes in a 1 Lt bottle with a caged cork. It pours nicely with good carbonation and nice head. It doesn’t dissipate as much as the dubbel. The color is a nice cloudy amber colored ale. The nose is yeasty with lite fruit. Pear and floral notes. The mouthfeel is lite and fairly refreshing. With any Belgian the Banana from the yeast comes through with spice and hops. Decently balanced with a hint of alcohol present. This medium body tripel has an ABV of 10%. I’m going to stick with a B+ on this as well.

Both of these Belgians were nice to try. I have had better in both for sure. But overall was enjoyable to review.
Tune in next time for more Brews, Views and News…

Think your creative? Think you got what it takes? Then this contest is for you! Send in your most creative creations having to do with craft beer. Anything you have created that has to do with craft beer only shall be submitted. Here is a couple of examples that I put together today. A FREE Tattood Brew shirt is up for grabs. Email your pics to jon(at)tattoodbrew.com and I’ll pick a winner on September 1st.

RULES- Submission has to be craft beer oriented. You can not send in your PBR can covered toilet seat covers. No BIG 2 items will be taken. If you think Amber bock is a craft beer IT”S NOT! It will be disqualified.

Fans of gambling games like blackjack and video poker can have the best of both worlds if they play their cards right, as many casinos in Las Vegas and other areas will happily serve up free beers to guests who are gambling. Proper beer strategy is important, though, as otherwise you might be stuck drinking Miller Lite when you could be enjoying Chimay Red or another higher-end import. It’s hard to knock any free beer but a few simple tips can put you onto the perfect beer trail instead of getting lost in CheapBeerLandia instead.

If you want to get comped higher-end beers when gambling in Vegas casinos, the most important factor is the casino you’re gambling at. The Wynn, Palazzo, and the Venetian are your best bets in Vegas, with all three getting high marks for both the beers they stock and their willingness to serve them up to gamblers. The better the casino, the better the booze they offer up; it doesn’t matter whether you’re staying at the casino as a guest, so if all other factors are equal, you’ll get better beers at the top-shelf casinos. Be careful, though, as if you normally play $5 blackjack at O’Sheas you might find those “free” Chimay Reds are very expensive if you have to play at a $25 minimum blackjack table and hit a bad streak.

Assuming you enjoy all sorts of games equally, you’ll generally get faster service (which means more free beers) if you’re playing table games like roulette, craps, or blackjack instead of machines like slots or video poker. Cocktail waitresses tend to get more tips from games that use chips so they circulate more often there, with relatively few visits to banks of penny slot machines that usually aren’t the home of big tippers. When you’re first ordering a beer, shoot for the moon as far as your request and name your favorite beer; all they can do is say they don’t have it and prompt you to order something that they do serve.

If you prefer to gamble at home at an Internet casino site, you obviously won’t be able to order free beers in the usual sense but cash bonuses for players work out to essentially the same thing. Many online sites offer generous cash bonuses for new and existing players which in some cases can double or triple any money you deposit. It takes a little legwork on your part, but that bonus cash basically equates to free beer that you can purchase and stock in your fridge; the upside here is that you’ll be guaranteed to always have your favorite beer at hand when you’re gambling.

I want to welcome the folks of the Kingsport Oktoberfest to the Kingsport area. They have contacted myself for some help with a few things and I’m very happy they did. I want to give everyone some info about where to get your info about the 2011 Inaugural festival. For general information contact us at: info@kingsportoktoberfest.com
Facebook with us at www.facebook.com/kingsportoktoberfest
Twitter with us at @KPTOktoberfest
Visit them on the web at www.kingsportoktoberfest.com

So please log onto their facebook site and friend them and show these fine folks we want them to come back year after year.